Every Rose
by the empress of lala land
Summary: Has it's thorn. Cleo was abandonded a long time ago by her parents. She finds a white haired boy... An event that changes her life. Set in the late 18th century England. MxOC
1. Introductions and GenderBending

Every Rose - Mello Fanfiction

By: Kayani Neko

Chapter One

Cleo knew many things. First, she was an abandoned child. Second, she had to find hope. Third, she was very scared. That is, until she found her angel. A baby boy, no more then a few years old at the most, left all alone amongst garbage.

She now stared down at the boy, his grey eyes were so scared. She picked him up and moved the blanket off his head. She gasped slightly. An angel! He had the purest white hair, the softest pale skin. She was now concerned, he didn't appear too healthy. There was only one thing to be done.

She ran with the child cradled in her arms to find help. She ran across a small street and gasped as she was knocked to the ground. She squeaked in pain, holding her shoulder. She had protected the boy from the horse, but ended up hurt herself. She looked up to see a surprised older man and a blonde boy in his lap looked down at them in surprise. A chance! "Please, good sir! My brother here," He wasn't, but in spirit, she felt she was his sister, there to protect him until he could protect her. "needs help! I think he's sick! Please, I beg of you, assist us! I will be forever in your debt!" She quickly bowed her head, holding the boy protectively in her arms.

"Oh my, stand up dear. We'll help you. Are you alright?" She looked up at the man and tears came to her eyes. He seemed surprised when they spilled over her cheeks. "Are you hurt?"

"N-no." she sniffed, holding the boy close. "I just never thought anyone would help him." She looked down at him fondly, then flinched. Her shoulder was bleeding.

"Oh dear, come along with us." The kind looking old man lead them along until they came to a large estate. She was in awe as she looked around. She'd never even seen such a fantastic place before.

After her angel had been looked at, the doctor told her he was simply born this weak. He would have to be on bed rest until he grew stronger. "Thank you so much sirs," she looked fondly up at the old man and his son. "I wish to be put in your service until he is stronger. I will serve you well, I can promise you this." She bowed low, as a servant does her master. "I beg of you."

The man smiled down at the girl. "Very well, I must say, you are quite strong for such a young lass. My name is Quillish Wammy, and this is my second son Mihael. My older son is Lawliet, but he's at lessons at the moment. And what might be your and your brother's names be?"

She looked up at him. "My name is Cleo, and I'm five years old! He's-"She paused, but only for a moment. "Nate and he's three!" She bowed, but in a boyish manner.

"Oh, that's a darling name dear. Where are your parents?" He looked at her kindly.

"I am but an orphan sir." She looked down, trying to avoid eye contact so he wouldn't know it was a lie. She had parents, they just left her.

He nodded. "That's a shame, you're such a sweetheart too." He frowned. "Too bad you aren't a boy, we could use more farm hands."

Cleo flinched at that. She hated when people said that. "Very well!" She called out with such force, it made Mihael jump slightly. She ripped a ribbon off her dress and pulled her scraggly hair into a low ponytail. "My name is Leo from now on!" She looked into Wammy's surprised gaze. "I have the manners of a stable hand, and I look more like a boy then I do a girl anyway. I will serve you in anyway needed Master!" She saluted him, standing like a soldier in her torn, ratty dress.

Master Wammy sighed, seeing no way to convince the young girl that it was not necessary. "Very well. But if you ever want to go back to being the young lady you are, feel free to ask the maids for a dress."

The young girl was now seven, and looked completely inconspicuous in her stable hands wear. Actually, she came across as quite a dashing boy. From her skinny legs to her messy hair, she played the part of a mischievous servant so well, some of the neighboring girls began trying to woo her. She laughed so wildly, every one of the servants called her Peter Pan. Of course, that being said, she never did anything to hinder her Master in any way. Now, annoying the stable master, or the cook; that was another story.

Another thing that hadn't changed, was the condition of Nate. Nate was still weak, but did his best to help. It turned out he was a mathematical genius, so he helped Master by planning the best way to make money, save it, and spend it. Master was delighted.

Cleo, on the other hand, never got any more book smart. She did grow, however, quite the vocabulary.


	2. Just Another Day

Every Rose - Mello Fanfiction

By: Kayani Neko

Chapter Two

"You'll never catch me, you slimy old fart!" She giggled deviously, running from the cook with a hunk of bread in her hand.

"Nate! I'm not here!" She whispered excitedly as she slid under his bed, hiding.

An old, grumpy looking man in a stained apron ran into his room yelling. "Have you seen that brat anywhere?!" Nate shook his head silently. "Blast it!" He yelled as he continued to run around the perimeter of the servants' house.

"Ah! Thank you angel!" Cleo sighed as she crawled into the chair at his bedside. "How are you feeling today? Like playing cards I hope!"

Nate narrowed his eyes. "You don't have to be such a brat to poor old cook." She rolled her eyes. "And no, you know cards aren't allowed to be played by the servants."

She frowned. "Someone's cranky. Anyway, I snatched us a snack!" She tore the bread in half, handing him the larger portion. "Eat up!"

He gave in, snatching the bread away from her. "You know, one of these days you're going to get in trouble for the way you act. Why can't you go back to being a girl? I'm certain you'd cause less trouble as one."

She stuck her tongue out at him. "Well, excuse me for wanting to help the Master!" She leaned forward and ruffled his fluffy hair. "Anyway, are you feeling any better today?"

He nodded, though very slightly. "Yes, a little stronger. Not much though. Maybe tomorrow I'll be able to walk with you in the garden. I miss the flowers."

Cleo smiled sweetly up at him. "Yes, that would be great." She closed her eyes and sighed. Being around Nate was like a breath of fresh air. He relaxed her, made her feel as if her soul was refreshed. "You know, the day I found you, I knew you were an angel."

Nate's lips twitched in a smile. "A weak angel who gets sick so easily he's not allowed outside."

Cleo sighed. "It's not about strength, Nate." She looked out the window, sighing. "It's just," her smile returned. "I always feel so much better when you're around."

Nate looked at his fingers as they fiddled with the toy horse Cleo had carved for him. "Do I really have such an effect on you?"

She nodded. "Of course. You're my angel." Nate wanted to be mad about his condition, but with they way Cleo talked about it, he couldn't help but feel it was a blessing. After all, his condition brought her to him.

"Ah, I thought you'd be in here Leo." A maid popped in the room, her long, curly dark hair flowing with surprising ease down her back. "The stable master is looking for you, says he has a lot of work to be done."

"Oh, bullocks. Suppose that means our little chat is done for now!" She stood and stretched. "See you later, Nate!" She kissed his cheek and ran out the door.

Nate glared in the direction she had went as the slightest amount of color rose in his cheeks. "Stupid girl." He scoffed.

The day she met Lawliet had been an odd one. She was quite surprised to find out her Master was even related to this man. Of course, he was not yet a man. He was odd, from his not-quite posture, to his wide, dark, sleep-deprived eyes. He was quiet too, didn't say much. "Welcome back, Lawliet!" His father called out with pride. Apparently, his son was a genius. "How was your trip?"

"I don't recognize this maid. When did she come, and why is she dressed like a boy?" He saw through her disguise with ease.

Master Wammy smiled. "As smart as ever. This is Cleo, she's working as a stable hand."

Young Master Lawliet's eyes widened. "Why would you force a poor girl to do such a thing? Really father, I thought better of you."

"Ah! No, it was my choice, sir!" Cleo piped in. "Master needed a boy, so I'll be a boy until he needs a girl!" She smiled up at him, her middle tooth now missing, though it was starting to grow back already.

"Hmm. That's interesting." He looked down at her with wide eyes. Cleo thought he looked funny with the bags under his eyes. He was only three years older then her, yet he looked so tired! The Young Master went to bed after that, and he stayed in his room studying until dinner every night after that. Soon, he was sent of to complete his apprenticeship as a scholar.


	3. Note to all readers

To all my readers,

Yes, I'm going to bother writing this in letter form. Why? Because I'm tired and it's silly enough to entertain a half awake mind.

Regardless, I do have a point to this letter. Please do read and consider this proposition. What I am to propose is quite dangerous… And mysterious…

Hehe, okay, okay, I'm done with all this foolishness. What this letter of sorts is in regard to, is my boredom. Yes, I take this very, very seriously.

Now, my proposition is simple. To all my readers, I'll be taking requests for Fanfiction. Yes, requests. Why? Simple; I have no life, and I'm inspired, but in no particular direction. All but my Draco stories are nearing completion(and no, I haven't posted much, but it's written out) and I find myself antsy. Plus, I love my readers a great deal.

The criteria of these requests are as such; I must know the book, I must like the character to some level(or completely despise him, either way), and I must be given some sort of ground work. Such as, if you have a character in mind, a particular plot twist you'd like included or a quality to be added to the story/OC character.

Note: I'm particularly leaning in the Harry Potter direction, since I'm currently rereading the series once more. Otherwise, suggest away! Send a PM, comment, whatever you like!

A warning though, if I get too many requests, I'll only be able to indulge a few of you, if only for the moment. Also, I only start posting my stories when I'm three chapters ahead. Otherwise, if I lose inspiration, the pressure makes me worry and… Well, the story, unfortunately, dies. Not to worry though, that's why I take such precaution in the first place.

Series I'm particularly fond of(for ideas): Harry Potter, twilight, Death Note, Heroes, X-Men, Hana Kimi and Saiyuki. Those are just a few though.

With love,

Kay


	4. Bravery or Foolishness

Every Rose - A Mello Fanfiction

By: Kayani Neko

Chapter Three

Young Master Mihael wasn't anything like his brother or his father. Which made Cleo wonder if they were even related. Young Master Mihael was competitive, driven, and more then anything, he always seemed so annoyed with everyone. As if they weren't working hard enough, or as if they were going out of their way to bother him. Though he never gave so much as a passing glance in Cleo's direction.

The only thing that seemed similar between the two brothers, was their antisocial behavior. Master Mihael didn't like to be disturbed at any time, and Master Lawliet tended to avoid anything social. Which was rather difficult, since Master Wammy was very warm and open, and often held grand parties.

Cleo loved when he had parties. Cleo would get to work as a server, carrying trays of fantastic foods and drinks. She loved watching as the big dresses swished and twirled across the dance floor, the strapping young men bowing and attempting to woo the women.

Cleo looked forward to the next one, but was forced to daydream while tending the horses. She had grown to love them all, the horses, the cows, the sheep, the pigs and the chickens. She loved to work with them. It was odd, because since the stable master knew she was a girl, he had expected her to hesitate when faced with cleaning up after them, but she viewed it as simply another part of the process.

That was another thing that hadn't changed; Cleo. She was still scrawny, with no figure at all. Though she had been budding, as a thirteen year old girl, she was expected to at least be heading towards womanhood. She was always dirty, and even after bathing, soon she'd find herself covered in dirt or dust. It was as if it was attracted to her or something. No one that didn't know had even suspected her true gender.

She hummed to herself as she worked, cleaning out the horses rooms. She had finished with the cows, and the chickens were next after the thorough bred Elisa's room. That's when she smelled something burning. Her nose scrunched up. That was odd, she thought cook had finished with the meat. Wasn't dinner eaten a while ago?

She shrugged it off, continuing with her job until she noticed smoke coming in. She ran in the direction of the smoke, a bucket of water in her hand. She dropped her bucket in shock of what she saw. The entire stable was on fire.

"The horses!" She knew all the other animals had probably already fled, but horses were known to stay inside a burning building. She quickly opened all the doors, ushering out as many horses out as she could manage, yelling the entire time for help. She was pulling out the last horse, Elisa, when she felt her world start to spin out of control. Her legs were wobbly as yanked on the stubborn horse's reigns.

She collapsed, unable to stand any longer. She coughed and hacked, trying to clear her lungs of this accursed smoke. She crawled as far as she could go, but she saw the flames approaching. "This," She coughed harshly. "is where I die?"

The world started slipping away as she felt the sting of smoke in her lungs. She looked up to see a boy running towards her yelling something she couldn't hear through the fog in her mind, through the fire. She felt arms wrap around her, pulling her from her haze. She saw fire rip across his face and he yelped in pain. His face, his face was on fire! He curled his jacket around her, protecting her from the horrible flames.

Finally, everything was too blurry for her to make out. Voices, screaming into darkness, pain, her leg! Everything finally slipped slowly into silence, into darkness.

Cleo opened her eyes hesitantly, knowing full well she'd be met with nothing but pain. She flinched, she was right. She sat up woozily, looking down at her leg. It was heavily bandaged, and she could tell she was drugged by the fog she remained in. The bandages went from her heel to just beneath her knee. Not as bad as she thought!

She turned to face the door, her eyes meeting the worried look of Master Wammy. "Oh, you're awake. How are you feeling dear?"

"I'm okay sir." She smiled. "You came all this way just to see me?" she was surprised. Normally Master's didn't give servants the time of day.

"Not quite, though I'm glad to see you're okay. I have a few questions, if you're up for it." He seemed tired, as if he'd been up for days.

"I'm up for anything right now. I think they gave me too much medicine, everything seems rather hazy." She made a face, looking out the far window at the bright sunshine. "How long have I been out?"

"Four days, dear." Master Wammy frowned. "Everyone was frightfully worried, you inhaled so much smoke, they worried you might never wake up."

Cleo looked down. "Sorry for worrying everyone." She smiled. "Everyone worried for me? I thought everyone but Nate hated me!" She laughed a little, which led to a coughing frenzy.

She slowed and Master Wammy spoke up after she was through. "Do you remember anything form that night that you can tell me?"

Cleo bit her thumb, trying to remember. "I'm sorry sir, everything's a bit hazy. I remember the fire was strongest in the southern corner though. I do hope that helps." She looked up to his worried face and remembered something. "Oh! There was a boy who pulled me out, who was it?"

Master Wammy's hand went to his forehead and he took in a shaky breath. "My son, Mihael saw the fire and went in after you."

Cleo's eyes widened. She leapt out of bed and stood, only to crumple to the floor in searing pain. She screamed slightly, quickly lifting her leg from under herself. She shot her gaze up to a surprised Master. "Master! Is the Young Master alright?! I saw fire everywhere!" She was panicking now.

"Miss, it's alright. He's resting in his room right now." She quickly stood and hobbled out the door, being careful to not move her injured leg. "Ah, Miss! Please, just lay back down, you're still injured." He called, but he seemed too tired to get up.

In her nightgown and bandages, she probably looked insane, walking through the empty halls in a frenzy, her shorter auburn hair going in odd directions. She opened the door to the Young Master's room quietly, making her way to his bedside.

His face was covered in bandages, and only his right eye and his mouth and nose were left uncovered. His eye opened slowly, looking up at her hazily. Her eyes watered at the sight of him, his once energetic glare was now a barely conscious gaze. She finally just started sobbing over him. "Why?" she asked over and over again, feeling as if her heart was being ripped from her chest as this boy lay there, severally injured. "Why?" She finally came to her knees and grabbed at his blankets, her face wet from tears.

"S…" She lifted her head, her sobs stopping to hear what he had to say. "Sorry I…" He took in a weak breath. "Couldn't get to you before…" He couched weakly. "Your leg burned…" His eye was glazed over from all the medication he was on, but she saw it as him in pain.

"Master Mihael…" She started to cry again. "I'm so sorry… I'm so, so sorry…"


	5. Not My Angel

Every Rose - A Mello Fanfiction

By: Kayani Neko

Chapter Four

Over the next few days, Cleo had proclaimed it was her duty to tend to Master Mihael, seeing as his incapacitation was her fault.

After Cleo's and his talk however, Master Mihael didn't speak much. Well, at all, really. It made Cleo nervous. Like, maybe now that he was more conscious, he realized what a mistake it was. Maybe he was angry with her.

She was changing the bandages for the second time that day. He flinched, but only slightly as she pulled the gauze away from the pus covered burn. The pus had gone down a great amount in the past three days, it was almost healed in fact. She washed the wound, then rubbed the medicine on the scarring skin gently.

She nearly jumped out of her skin when Master spoke. "Are you," he paused, seeming to have to force the words out. "Tending your own wound?"

Cleo blinked, surprised. Master hardly ever spoke to her, why was he acting so concerned? "I appreciate your concern, Master. The burn on my leg," She smiled, thinking how silly it was he was concerned with such a minor burn. "Hardly needs any attention. It's already begun scarring."

The Master nodded, never having looked at her. She smiled, happy he had bothered with her. "Your injury, however needs my constant vigilance. May I request the Master notifies me if he needs tending?"

Master's eyes flashed up to hers, and her breath caught. Had she not noticed how entrancing his eyes were? He paused, taking in her reaction. "Yes." Was all the answer he offered. Though his next request would catch Cleo completely off guard. "I'd like to… Request," He seemed to be put off addressing one such her as if he was honestly giving her a request rather then an order. "That you dress as a woman when tending to me. I find it quite repulsive, a woman dressing as a man."

She blushed slightly. "W-woman? Forgive me sir, but I am hardly a woman." He glared in her direction as she sighed. "Though, I suppose if the Master requests it, I shall dress as a woman before him." She sighed once more. "I haven't had time to visit Nate yet. I wonder how he's doing?" She mused more to herself then anyone in particular. "I bet he's worried sick about me!" She snickered, picturing him fidgeting.

"You don't know?" Her gaze flickered to him, suspicion in her eyes. "He hasn't woken for three days now."

Cleo felt her heart sink, her world stop. "What?" Her voice was barely audible, but even Mihael felt the sheer terror in those words. His eyes widened as without hesitation she bolted from the room, heedless of her wound.

She felt nothing but raw terror as she ran to his room. _Not him, not my angel._ Was all she could think. She slammed open the door and ran to his bedside. She froze as she saw his sleeping form. His chest rose and fell in rhythm. Surprisingly serene a scene it was, Cleo found her worry to be her focus quickly.

She crouched down at his bedside, ignoring her screaming leg as she pet a few stray hairs out of his face. She set her hand upon his forehead and felt no fever. He wasn't cold either, just, asleep. She began to pet his eternally messy hair down, whispering pleas into his ear. "Please," She begged. "Wake up. I'm…" She began to sob once more. "Sorry I haven't visited you… I bet you missed me, huh? W-well, I'm here now, so wake up." She continued her sobbing pleas, desperate.

She did not hear him come in, and, in all honesty, he did not know why he was there to begin with. As he watched her desperate pleading, he found himself incredibly annoyed. This servant gave more attention to another servant then her Master. "Hey." His grated voice called.

Her eyes flashed to him immediately, and she stood, only to slip and fall to her knees once more. She cringed, feeling returning once more to her attention. "I apologize Master, d-did your bandages slip?" Her cheeks was wet from the non-stop tears, and her voice cracked and stuttered weakly.

He watched as her hand went instinctively to her brother's as she pulled herself up, leaning on her uninjured foot. His eyes flashed up to hers quickly. "Did you hurt your leg running?"

She looked confused, as if there couldn't be anything more insignificant at the moment. She even looked down in her confusion. "Um-" She faltered for a moment, too startled to pull herself from Nate's state enough to even notice her own injuries momentarily. "Y-yes sir. Just a little, it was already close to healing."

Mihael looked to her leg, which seemed to be twitching slightly. He sighed quietly as he felt an unfamiliar sensation; concern. He reasoned that since he had saved her life, he felt obligated to continue his concern. "You might want to tend to your wound."

"Master… With all do respect, if you do not need me, I wish to tend to my brother. He needs me." Her gaze flickered to him worriedly. Her fingers played in between his, stoking his palm.

For reasons completely unexplainable, Mihael found this incredibly irritating. "I order you to tend your wound." She looked up at him surprised, gripping Nate's hand tighter. This made his eyes narrow further, and he decided he wasn't done yet. "Also, I demand all of your attention. You are to be my personal servant from now on."

Cleo's eyes widened in horror as she realized what the requirements of this job entailed. She would have to be by his side at all times. Except as he slept, of course. Though, she was required to sleep in the servants chamber next to his room, prepared for his call at all times. Not even the Master had ever requested such a thing from any of his servants. Cleo opened her mouth to speak, but no sound came forth. She knew better anyway, this was no simple request.

Mihael seemed to realize the idiocy of such a move, but could honestly care less. "You are to be at my side at all times, unless dismissed. For now, I'll have you borrow a dress from the other maids until we can have one made for you." He knew already, looking at her, that this would be necessary. She didn't have the figure needed to fit into the average maids uniform.

With that, he left.

The longer Cleo stood there, stunned, the longer she knew she'd have to stay away from Nate. Or at least that's how it felt.


End file.
